Is there a form of Gyges in all of us?

Is there a form of Gyges in all of us? To answer this question we must first understand the Myth of Gyges. Gyges is a shepherd that gains possession of an “invisibility” ring that gives the bearer great power, he uses the ring to commit certain injustices to please his appetite. If given the opportunity to possess this ring, many people would go out of their way to gain all the worldly pleasures that they desire. This is what Glaucon tries to prove to Socrates, that people have an insatiable desire to obtain what they want and if they could do it all the time, they would! We humans were given the free will to choose between doing what is just (right) and unjust (wrong). Being given this choice, many people would definitely choose to do what would benefit them the most. They would go about doing so by any means necessary. Laws are the only thing that keeps people from acting like savage beasts. The people that follow these laws are those that do not have the power to challenge them. Therefore, they keep to them so that they do not suffer for any wrong-doings. If given an opportunity to be in a place of power, people would choose to create new laws that would benefit only themselves. Glaucon goes onto saying that “justice is good for its consequences.” Here he is saying that we only do the right thing because of the benefits. In some cases this is true; people only do what is right because it keeps them from suffering the consequences, for example, going to jail. If given the chance to possess the ring that Gyges obtained, people would do exactly what they are thought is wrong, for the simple fact that they can do it and not get caught. Society, if given the choice to be just or be unjust without getting caught, in the same situation, all, not many will choose to be unjust. This is so because they will benefit more than the person who chooses to be just. If a just man were to be presented to society as an unjust man, this ma…